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By: Richard Cazzo
Web site: http://www.lamps-n-lighting.com
Wall sconces brighten many walls these days
are and other lighting fixtures for your homes
walls that provide versatile illumination and
more than a little decorative flair. Wall-mounted
fixtures like a wall sconce often supply ambient
light, bouncing their beams off walls and ceilings
or emanating a subtle glow through translucent
covers. They may also serve as equally purposeful
task lights directed at work surfaces or stairs.
A wall-mounted lighting fixture has the advantage
of utilizing wall space, substituting for a lamp
what would take up part of a tabletop or counter.
Wall sconces are descendants of candle-holding
brackets, usually closed at the base and open
at the top, so light washes up the wall and onto
the ceiling, where it provides gentle overall
illumination of a space. These wall-mounted lighting
fixtures are particularly effective at lighting
entryways, ornamenting the walls of formal living
or dining rooms, or creating a romantic ambience
in a bedroom. Designer Dean Rutherford installed
sconces in his bedroom, dining room, and living
room. "Wall Sconce lighting is a softer effect,"
he says. "It creates a certain mood."
He makes sure all of his wall sconces are on dimmer
switches, so he can adjust the light level as
the mood dictates.
As an object fixed to the wall and lit from inside,
a wall sconce readily becomes a work of art, whether
showing off stained glass or shaped into an eye-catching
sculptural form. In some cases the light from
a wall-mounted fixture rendered is minimal; the
fixture's real purpose is ornamental.
In bathrooms and dressing areas, on the other
hand, wall sconces can be thoroughly practical.
They can remedy the distorting shadows produced
by a single light mounted above the bathroom mirror
or soften the harshness of ceiling fixtures. If
you have twin sinks, use three wall sconces so
there is light on either side of both mirrors.
Lighting designer Nancy McCoy suggests mounting
at eye level. "The color of the glass covering
the wall sconce also matters," she says.
"Choose white glass. Colored glass can cast
unusual tones on your skin."
Wall sconces provide bright and direct task-oriented
light when they are open at the bottom or point
downward. McCoy, who has used them in hallways
and on stairs, points out the reason many hotels
have sconces near the door of each room: "In
a dim hall, a sconce helps cast light on the door
knob, letting you find it easily" She adds:
"On stairways, you generally have high ceilings
that make hanging light fixtures difficult. Wall-mounted
fixtures are a good alternative."
The light source inside your wall sconce fixture
can be incandescent or fluorescent. You may want
to experiment with different bulbs to judge which
are most effective; for example, fluorescent lighting
can now achieve a warm glow. However, in new construction
and major remodels, code provisions that mandate
at least some fluorescent lighting may apply For
locations near water--in bathrooms, most notably--use
wall mounted fixtures approved for such use. They
should also be served by a ground fault circuit
interrupter (GFCI or GFI).
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